NEW talent based in Scotland is to be highlighted by Edinburgh Art Festival.
The work of the up-and-coming artists will be displayed at the festival’s annual showcase.
Platform: 2020 is scheduled to go ahead at the end of the month, despite the cancellation of the wider festival in August due to coronavirus.
The exhibition – which usually forms a key element of Edinburgh Art Festival’s programme - will shine a light on four early-career artists, selected through an open call by artist Ruth Ewan and curator Sophia Hao, of Dundee University’s Cooper Gallery.
Rabindranath A Bhose, Mark Bleakley, Rhona Jack and Susannah Stark have been supported to create new work which will be presented in a group show at City Art Centre, from 31 October to 29 November.
Each artist has been working over recent months to develop pieces for the exhibition, including sound installations, textile and sculptural works, print-making, film, performance, and text-based works.
The works explore a number of themes said to be particularly resonant in present times, including the aesthetics of the collective, the vitality of being together in space, strategies for survival, and the importance of the sense of touch.
Sorcha Carey, director of Edinburgh Art Festival, said: “During what has been an exceptionally challenging time for cultural organisations across the country, and for individual artists and freelance workers in particular, we are so pleased to be able to support four artists based in Scotland to make and present new work.
“We look forward to sharing an exciting next generation of artists with audiences – and as artists and colleagues across the visual art sector continue to face considerable uncertainty, we encourage anyone who feels passionate about art and its importance to our society, to do what they can to support artists and galleries in their local community.”
Artist Ruth Ewan, who helped with selection, said: “It was exciting to be introduced to a new generation of artists in Scotland through the Platform selection process and I really look forward to seeing the new work Rabindranath, Mark, Rhona and Susannah have produced.
“Each artist in the exhibition has a clear and unique voice and it is vital we continue to support, nurture and value artists at this early stage in their careers, especially at this highly precarious time.”
Edinburgh Art Festival aims to return next year from July 29 to August 29 to celebrate the work of artists with audiences and communities across the city.
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